The Rhode to Health: A Podcast from Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island

Jenny Bautista-Ravreby, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Manager will be your guest host as we explore Latinx health during Hispanic Heritage Month. You'll hear thoughts from our Latin@ Link EBRG on the state of healthcare. We'll talk with Oscar Alexis Mejias, CEO of the Rhode Island Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and we will revisit a piece featuring Marcela Betancour, Executive Director of the Latino Policy Institute, and Jennifer Gaviria, Co-Founder of Latino Mental Health Network of Rhode Island. 

Be healthy. Be well. And keep your eyes on the Rhode.

Welcome to the Rhode to Health Back Rhodes. Now that kids are back at school and settling in we’re revisiting a segment from our Rhode to Learning episode from a year ago, where we sat down with Sarah Dinklage, CEO of Rhode Island Student Assistance Services, about how RISAS is working to protect Rhode Island youth from behavioral health and substance use risks. Recently, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island committed one million dollars over three years to fund this critical work. Let’s listen as Sarah explains how RISAS is removing kids' barriers to well-being.

We're continuing our celebration of 20 years of BlueAngel Community Health Grants with a 2023 grantee, Westbay Community Action, which opened its doors in 1966. Since that time, they have served Kent County with an impressive range of services. One of these services stemmed from a pilot program known as Hoarding Intervention Response and Evaluation, or HIRE. HIRE sits at the crossroads of multiple health crises in Rhode Island, most notably the current crises involving housing and behavioral health. Sarah Lopatka-Faria, Westbay’s chief program officer, and Kelly McHugh, director of case management, sat down with me and spoke about HIRE as well as everything Westbay Community Action is doing for their community.

Learn more about West Bay Community Action here.

Be healthy. Be well. And keep your eyes on the Rhode.

Today we're revisiting a segment from July of 2022. As summer rolls to an end there are still a few outdoor barbecues left in the season, so we've got some summer eating tips with Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island dietitian Laura Beltz. 

Be healthy. Be well. And keep your eyes on the Rhode.

In the month that we celebrate our independence, we’re taking a moment to acknowledge the  folks who protect it. Today we're learning about Rhode Island’s veteran population by sitting down with an organization that protects their health and well-being in so many ways. 

Erik Wallen served as a United States Air Force Captain in the Department of the Judge Advocate General. Since 2011 he has served as the full-time executive director and general counsel for Operation Stand Down Rhode Island. The organization offers a wide range of life-changing services including supportive permanent and transitional housing, legal and VA benefit representation, intensive case management, basic human needs assistance and employment training programs. Erik sat down with us and discussed the many ways Operation Stand Down is  helping to support Rhode Island’s most vulnerable veterans.

To learn more about Operation Stand Down Rhode Island go to www.osdri.org.

Be healthy. Be Well. And keep your eyes on the Rhode.

The party continues as we celebrate 20 years of BlueAngel Community Health Grants, and in honor of today's guest, we're making it a bit of a Quinceañera. For the last 15 years, Clínica Esperanza has made it their mission to provide culturally attuned and linguistically appropriate medical care and preventive health services to uninsured Rhode Islanders. And in that time Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island has supported the Clínica in a number of ways, notably as a BlueAngel Community Health Grant recipient in 2010 and 2011 and then again in 2015 and 2016. Morgan Leonard, Clínica Esperanza's executive director, sat down with us and we talked about everything they do.

Learn more about Clínica Esperanza at aplacetobehealthy.org.

Be healthy. Be Well. And keep your eyes on the Rhode.

We're revisiting an episode from summer of 2022, when we met with Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island Medical Director and surf enthusiast Dr. Victor Pinkes, who shared with us some great tips on how to stay safe on Rhode Island's beautiful beaches.  

Be healthy. Be Well. And keep your eyes on the Rhode.

We’re continuing our celebration of 20 years of the Blue Angel Community Health Grant with a first-time partner: West Elmwood Housing Development Corporation (WEHDC).

By providing high quality home buyer education and foreclosure prevention support, WEHDC helps first time homebuyers to transition from tenancy to acquire their first homes and supports long term housing and economic stability.  Hear from Candace Harper, WEHDC Executive Director and Jessenia Tolentino, WEHDC’s new Bilingual Housing Counselor as they share with us the ways that they’re tackling Rhode Island’s growing housing crisis. With Jessenia onboard, WEHDC can now offer these resources in Spanish, helping to reach the 62% of Latino residents that call the West End home.

Learn more about West Elmwood Housing Development Corporation at westelmwood.org and their educational programing classes by clicking here.

June is Pride month. Unfortunately, in social media, the news, and, scariest of all, in places that affect lives, livelihoods and the future of our underrepresented friends and neighbors, anti-LGBTQIA discourse is on the rise. And so now, more than ever, it's time to show up in ways that go beyond rainbow-washing and can help protect the health and wellness of a community that is so ingrained in the fabric of our state. This podcast is dedicated to making us all better allies.

Joining us are members of Blue Cross's BluepRIde employee business resource group to discuss the challenges for the LGBTQIA+ community and the best way for allies to be genuinely helpful.

Learn more about BCBSRI's Employee Business Resource Groups.

For the past eight years, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island has been working with healthcare providers to make that ally-ship measurable and visible through our Safe Zones program. Scott Gowrie, Safe Zone program lead, joins the latest cohort of providers to become Safe Zone certified as they reflect on what it means to create a safe space to seek medical care.

Learn more about the Safe Zone program.

And finally, we are joined by Elise Strom,  Jason Preciphs and Jodi Glass from Aldersbridge Communities. This organization has been providing services to older adults throughout Rhode Island ranging from long-term care to skilled nursing to independent and assisted living services for more than 50 years. They discuss their newest community, which is conceived to be LGBTQ friendly from the ground up, and  why the intersection of this population, aging and housing vulnerability make for an opportunity for ally-ship of the highest order.

Learn about Aldersbridge Communities.

You can find music and more information about the Candace Brooks Band at thecandacebrooksband.com.

Be healthy. Be well. And keep your eyes on the Rhode.

In this BACKRHODES episode, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island's own Aneesah Cameron shares a unique perspective on the intersection of Juneteenth and healthcare in the African American community. Aneesah sheds light on issues of trust and equity, reminding us that in order to look ahead and make progress, we must understand and acknowledge the past.

Be healthy. Be well. And keep you're eyes on the Rhode.